The invention relates to a portable communicating apparatus. More particularly, it relates to a portable communicating hot link apparatus which can provide a simple, efficient and effective means of communication between children and their parents, between elderly persons and caring relatives, and between mentally less-able individuals and supervising adults.
Children often disappear from view from parents causing anxiety and worry until their whereabouts is known again. Mobile telephone technology, such as GSM, DCS, and CDMA can provide an essential link between older children and their parents, but this is not the answer for younger children, elderly persons, or mentally less-able individuals. The mobile telephone is very valuable and might easily be lost or stolen from a child or from a mentally less-able individual. Similarly, elderly citizens may experience distress should they become lost in a crowd or lose sight of a supervising adult. In all these instances, children, mentally less able individuals, and elderly persons would quite likely experience difficulty in pressing the right sequence of keys on the mobile telephone, particularly if it were dark or in instances of bad weather.
Elderly persons often make appointments to meet supervising adults, such as their grown up children, but due to the fast commotion of life, they may miss the particular agreed meeting point or they may forget the time of the meeting. There is clearly a need for a communicating device which can address the communication technology requirements of this situation.
Current mobile phone technology products do not offer a very simple and cheap technology solution which addresses this essential one-to-one communication need.
In addition to these specific communication problem needs, there is a growing concern about the potentially harmful effect of electromagnetic radiation upon the developing brains of young children. Within this context, there is an opportunity to design a communication device for children which positions the radiating electromagnetic field of a communication device away from the close proximity of the brain. In this regard, parents who maintain the belief that mobile telephones present a health risk due to the radiating antenna, may rest secure in the knowledge that this risk can be significantly reduced.
Further to these limitations of existing technologies, and so far as is known, no portable communication apparatus is presently available which serves to offer a hot link communicator comprising the minimum mobile telephone functionality suited to the specific needs of this problem area.
The EP-A-0772336 document to Staeuly Alfred discloses an easy-to-handle digital portable telephone comprising a simple array of press pad to initiate a pre-programmed unique subscriber telephone number and to answer an incoming call. The device comprises a limited number of buttons, each to call only one telephone number. This portable telephone is to link exclusively a supervisor (mother) and her children. Therefore the portable telephone has stored in an internal read only memory (ROM) the ID code of authorised correspondents. All incoming telephone numbers are compared with the stored telephone numbers. These stored numbers are only changeable by removing and changing that ROM thereby rendering the said portable telephone secure.
The EP-A-0524652 document from Ransome Industries discloses a programmable dialler for a cellular telephone that comprises a plurality of telephone numbers in its memory, which it can call with a limited number of keys. Those telephone numbers are programmed by the manufacturer or by a licensed programmer and the device must be returned to the manufacturer or to the licensed programmer for it to be reprogrammed.
In both cases, the cellular telephone must be returned to a programming place in order to be reprogrammed any time when it is desired to change the authorised correspondents. The problem with those cellular apparatuses is their lack of versatility and flexibility in the programming of stored subscriber numbers allowed to communicate with them. This problem is solved in the invention by allowing a linked mobile telephone comprising the same type of identity module to reprogram said stored numbers to link the device to any fixed or mobile phone. Therefore the invention allows a much greater versatility, flexibility and ease-of-use and also renders the programmable Hot Link communicator very secure.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel portable hot link communicating apparatus to meet the minimum specific requirements of parents wishing to have the facility of immediate communication with their children, between mentally less-able individuals and supervising adults, and between elderly persons and caring relatives.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel portable hot link communicating apparatus which comprises a preprogrammed identity module comprising the number of the mobile or fixed telephone to which the hot link communicating device is linked.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel portable hot link communicating apparatus which may comprise no key pad at all, other than a simple array of press pads to initiate a call or to answer an incoming call thereby minimising cost and functionality of the said communication apparatus.
It is a further object of the present invention, to provide a novel portable hot link communicating apparatus which may comprise no display thereby minimising cost and functionality of the said communication apparatus.
It is a further object of the present invention, to provide a novel portable hot link communicating apparatus which comprises a simple and effective way of attaching it to the wearer such as a wrist strap, a hip belt clip, or a neck cord. In this context, it is a further object of the invention to provide a portable hot link communicating apparatus which may function effectively while worn on the wrist such that the electromagnetic field of the radiating antenna is positioned away from the close proximity of the developing brains of young children while a call is in progress.
It is a further object of the present invention, to provide a novel portable hot link communicating apparatus which may be moulded in any of a number of bright colours and designs which are attractive to young children and which are therefore readily worn by said children.
It is a further object of the present invention, to provide a novel portable hot link communicating apparatus which makes use of state of the art battery technology such that the hot link communicating device may be powered by a light-weight, low volume rechargeable battery with sufficient power to remain active for 24 hours.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the description to follow when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Certain of the foregoing and related objects are readily-attained according to the present invention by the provision of a novel portable communicating apparatus or hot link communicator which serves to address the diverse requirements of communication between parents and children, between supervising adults and mentally less-able individuals, and between elderly persons and caring relatives.
The hot link communicator preferably comprises a basic mobile telephone circuit having no key pad or display and a rechargeable battery and antenna and a preprogrammed identity module linking it to a single mobile or fixed telephone. Where appropriate, in an alternative embodiment the hot link communicator is able to place a call to one of a plurality of separate telephone numbers comprising mobile telephones, fixed telephones or other hot link communicators. In one embodiment in which the hot link communicator is able to select one of two numbers, an additional separate call button is provided for this purpose. In an alternative embodiment, selection of one of a plurality of numbers is done using the single call initiate button and by sequentially stepping through the numbers stored in the preprogrammed identity module. The indication of which number is being selected can be shown on the screen of the hot link communicator in a number of embodiments; alternatively one of a number of coloured lights may be programmed to light up to avoid the expense of the screen.
To all extents and purposes, the hot link communicator, works identically as a mobile telephone when it is active and receives a call. It differs from the complexity of a mobile telephone in that it comprises no key pad, and in its place, it comprises the circuitry to dial a number preprogrammed into its identity module.
The linked mobile telephone, or any mobile telephone comprising the same type of identity module, is thus easily employed to preprogram the unique number of any mobile or fixed telephone to which the hot link communicator is to be linked. This programming feature offers a significant degree in freedom in linking any particular hot link communicator with any particular mobile or fixed telephone. Furthermore, the same method may be employed to program two identity modules and thereby link two hot link communicators to each other.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which disclose one embodiment of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and that the particular description of the portable hot link communicating apparatus is given by way of example only and does not limit the scope of the invention.
Referring now in detail to the drawings and in particular FIG. 1 thereof, therein illustrated is a portable hot link communicating apparatus embodying the present invention.
This device comprises a novel combination of existing technologies and features which make possible the existence of a new and improved portable hot link communicating apparatus to address the needs of parents wishing to have the facility of immediate communication with their children and vice versa, between supervising individuals and mentally less-able persons, and between elderly persons and caring relatives.
Furthermore this novel hot link communicator is able to receive and send calls to a preprogrammed mobile or fixed telephone by making use of simplified circuitry to select and call at least one number programmed into the identity module associated with the hot link communicator.
This unique combination of features greatly simplifies the hot link communicator circuitry and thereby reduces the cost of the device.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention is suitably employed within any specific mobile telephone system such as GSM, DCS, and CDMA. For the purpose of detailed description and in order to make clear the advantages and benefits of the hot link communicator, the particular embodiment of the GSM standard of mobile telephone technology is selected. Furthermore, the corresponding identity module within the GSM standard of mobile telephone technology, the subscriber identity module, or SIM card is described. This selection of GSM is made by way of example only and does not limit the scope of the invention to the GSM standard since it is obviously and suitably adapted to DCS and CDMA telephone technologies by making the corresponding and obvious technical modifications to the hot link communicator circuitry.
In the preferred embodiment, the essential hardware components comprise a basic GSM telephone circuit, a rechargeable battery, a compact GSM antenna, a brightly coloured moulding, in the instance that it is intended for children, a preprogrammed SIM card, and two buttons: one to initiate a telephone call, the other to answer an incoming call, and a ringing tone generator as well as a basic two way microphone device.
With particular reference to FIG. 1 there is shown an illustration of one embodiment of the portable hot link communicating apparatus. The hot link communicator 10 comprises a wrist strap 12, a call button 14, and a call receive button 16. The optional central display 18 may comprise a digital watch and possibly some indication of the coverage level, as is standard in the display of mobile telephones. In a further embodiment the display 18 may indicate who is calling, in the instance that this is preprogrammed into the identity module. Furthermore, in a further embodiment, the display 18 can be used to indicate to which one of a plurality of stored telephone numbers the hot link communicator can initiate a call, in which case a particular sequence of key presses can be programmed to step through the list of stored numbers.
FIG. 2 shows an illustration of the ease of use of the hot link communicator within the context of mobile telephone technology.
FIG. 3 shows a circuit block schematic indicating the necessary functional components of the hot link communicating apparatus according to one embodiment based on the standard schematic for GSM. The hot link communicator differs from the standard GSM telephone circuit in that the circuit has no keypad for entering numbers and in its place it makes use of a simplified button for automatically calling a number in the preprogrammed Identity Module.
FIG.4 shows a number of possible shapes of the hot link communicator into which the plastic housing could be moulded to make the communicator most acceptable to children.
The hot link communicator is intended to provide an emergency telephone connection using the simplest combination of technologies in a new and unique way. It is intended that the hot link communicator may contain levels of sophistication to suit different specific needs of individuals. As has been stated before, the hot link communicator may comprise a screen display. In addition, the hot link communicator may comprise the capability to initiate telephone calls to one of a number of telephone numbers stored in the preprogrammed identity module. In GSM this preprogrammed identity module is described as the SIM card or Subscribers Identity Module. Nevertheless, the SIM card is only mentioned by way of example and the invention is not limited to this particular module and any circuitry may be devised to achieve the necessary functionality of the hot link communicator pre-programed identity module.
In one alternative embodiment, the hot link communicator is able to select one of a plurality of numbers stored in the preprogrammed identity module. This can be realised in a number of ways such as programming the call initiate button 14 to toggle through the list of stored numbers wherein each is sequentially displayed on the screen. Alternatively, a number of coloured lights may be used to indicate from whom a call is being received or to whom a call is about to be initiated wherein one particular coloured light corresponds to a particular telephone number stored on the preprogrammed identity module. The use of coloured lights may serve to be advantageous when the hot link communicator is to be used by a young child who is unable to recognised alphanumeric text on a screen display.
While only one embodiment of the present invention: the hot link communicator within the context of the digital GSM telephone system in particular, has been shown and described in detail, it will be obvious to those persons of ordinary skill in the art, that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the invention. For example, the hot link communicator may make use of any telephone technology such as CDMA, and DCS. Furthermore the hot link communicator may be stored in a battery recharging device when not worn such that it remains available for use when needed.